It’s difficult to see what, exactly, might rub John Tortorella the wrong way about Tyutin’s play.

His possession numbers seem solid enough (even if he’s getting an unusually high number of offensive zone starts compared to his previous workhorse burden). You’d think he would be good enough to at least stay in the six-man mix for Columbus, especially against a challenging opponent like the Washington Capitals, but apparently not.

Last healthy scratch I can find for Fedor Tyutin is Dec. 6, 2010, when Scott Arniel was #CBJ coach.

Honestly, the Lightning may be wise to rest Johnson, especially since they’re facing back-to-back games this weekend.

It’s a long season, after all, and Johnson’s dealt with injury hiccups both at the end of the 2015 postseason and early in this campaign. Perhaps giving him a breather would be a “short-term pain, long-term gain” type move?

James Neal and Filip Forsberg also stand as one of the league’s better under-the-radar duos. Those forces (not to mention timely scoring from their supporting cast) help explain their early +10 goal differential.

In more precise terms, they’re starting games off the way you win games. They haven’t allowed a first-period goal in 2015-16 and have scored the first goal of eight of their nine contests.

At some point, they’ll face more adversity … and it’s fair to point out that quite a few of their wins came against the East.

Still, you can only win the games in front of you, and the Predators are doing just that so far.

“It’s just chaos out there,” Mason said in the locker room after Tuesday’s OT loss to the Buffalo Sabres. “I made a great save coming across, and then a couple of seconds later, they’re back on a breakaway. It’s tough out there. There’s just chance after chance, and it’s creating chances. That’s why so many games are being ended in overtime; there are just so many quality chances that guys just eventually score.”

For those who feel like the NHL needs a shot in the arm offense-wise, that last phrase in particular might sting a bit.

“There are just so many quality chances that guys just eventually score.”

You know, some probably want it to be like that before games go 3-on-3.

Just about everyone (including Jakub Voracek and Dave Hakstol) said they understood why Mason isn’t a fan, but maybe it’s a good thing.

Maybe life should be a little tougher for goalies in general?

Anyway, you can see the latest 3-on-3 OT goal allowed by Mason for an example of why he (understandably) dislikes that format.